Side bearing.



A. K. WOLFE.

SIDE BEARING.

APPLICATION rnmnno. so, 1911.

Patented July 9, 1912.

2 SHBBT SSHEET 1.

WITNESSES MMW E! M I ATTORNEY A. K. WOLFE. SIDE BEARING.

APPLLIOATION FILED 1:20.30, 1911.

1,031,761 lawman July 9,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEBT 2.

pn'irnn s'rarns rarnnr orrion.

AIBNER K. WOLFE, or ATOI-IISON, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF T0 CLEMENTDAVIS, or :eULo, NEBRASKA.

SIDE BEARING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 9, 1912.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ABNER K. WOLFE, a r

citizen of the United States, residing at Atchison, in the county ofAtchison and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful SideBearing, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway trucks,

especially that kind in which the weight is borne primarily by sidebearings instead of by the center plate.

The invention has for its object the construction of improvedside'bearings and the combination therewith of anti-friction mem bers topermit the truck to swing easily upon its pivot in rounding curves andto facilitate the return of the truck to its nor mal position after thepassing of the curve.

Having these objects in View, the invention resides in the arrangementand construction of parts, particularly set out in the appended claims,and which will be described in detail in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the bolster members with the car sillson the floor in vertical section. F 2 is a top plan view of thebolsters. Fig. 3 is a similar view with the upper bolster removed. Fig.

1 is an end View of the bolsters. Fig. 5 is a vertical section on theline 5-5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal Vertical section throughthe bolster on the line 66 of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a vertical section onthe line 77 of Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is a similar section on the line 88 ofFig. 3.

In the drawings 1 designates an upper body bolster fixed beneath the carsills 2 and having mounted therein a center pin 3, while 4 designatesthe lower truck bolster pivotally mounted beneath the bolster 1 upon thecenter pin 3 in the usual manner. The upper bolster is provided. aboutthe center pin 3 with the center plate 5, the under face of whichnormally occupies a position in frictional contact with theupper face ofthe lower bolster.

V Upon the outer ends of the body bolster are bolted or otherwisemounted upper bearing plates 6, having in their lower faces an arcuategroove 7 inscribed about the center pin, which groove is preferably ofthe same depth throughout with its bearing face lying in a horizontalplane. Upon the outer ends of the truck bolster are similarly mountedlower bearing plates 8, having in their upper face an arcuate groove 9,oppositely disposed with reference to the groove 7 in the upper plate.The groove 9 has a greater depth in the center with inclined approaches,

having a concave contour viewed longitudinally as shown in Fig. 5. Theopposed grooves 7 and 9 form together a run-way for anti-frictionmembers, shown in the present case as rolls 10, each having the form ofa truncated cone whose vertex is in the center pin 3. These rolls aremounted in pairs, one at each end of the bolster. The members of eachpair are arranged closely adjacent to each other and rotatably mountedupon the outer ends of the arms 11 of a spider-like frame, having acircular body 12 mounted concentric with the center pin 3 for rotationthereabout upon guide rolls 13, which guide rolls are mounted upon studs14 carried by plates 15,- bolted upon the two sides of the truck bolsteropposite the center pin. formed of two rods having their medial portionoff-set in the form of a semi-circle, and the two rods join togetherimmediately adjacent the off-set portion by collars 16, whereby thecurved off-set portions form the circular body 12 and the straightportions of the rods form the arms 11, extending from said central bodyin a radial direction, as shown in Fig. 8.

The collars 16 are provided with cars 17, which ears form an anchoragefor helical springs 18, the opposite ends of which are attached to abracket 19, secured by the bolts 20 to the car sill or other suitablefixed support. Y

It will be observed that under normal circumstances when the twobolsters are in parallel relation, the weight of the car is supported bythe rolls and by the central bearing plate, as shown in Fig. 1. Undersuch circumstances the rolls 1O occupy the position shown in Figs. 4 and5 in the deepest portion of the run-way of the bearing plates, but whena curve is reached and the truck bolster swings to a position at anangle to the body bolster, the rolls 10 will travel up the incline orbearing face of the lower plate, thus lifting the body bolster with itscenter plate out of contact with the truck bolster, bringing the entireload upon the The frame is advantageously rolls and dispensing with thefrictional contact within the center plate and the truck bolster.

It is important that as soon as the car leaves a curve the truck shallreturn to its normal position, and this return is facilitated by thelongitudinal contour of the lower groove, the force of gravity causingthe rolls to tend to resume their normal position in the deepest portionof the groove, thereby bringing the truck bolster back into parallelismwith the body bolster. If the tendency of the truck bolster to resumeits normal position be increased beyond acertain point by emphasizingthe curvature of the groove, there will be a corresponding resistance tothe swinging of the truck bolster upon reaching a curve, and, therefore,in stead of making the curvature suflicient to enable gravity alone tobe depended upon to bring the bolster back into parallelism under allcircumstances, it is found to be advantageous to also provide assupplemental means for returning the parts the equalizer springs 18,which cooperate with the lnclined groove to effect this result. Eitherthe inclined grooves or the equalizer springs may be employed onewithout the other, but by combining the two in their action upon therolls, a degree of adjustment is attained which would otherwise beimpossible, and the proper relation between the resistance to turningand the tendency to return.

What is claimed is 1. In a side bearing, the combination, with the bodybolster, a truck bolster, and a center pin, of upper and lower bearingplates carried respectively by the body bolster and the truck bolsterand having runways formed in their opposing faces, a spider framepivotally mounted concentric with the center pin and having armsextending to the plates, rolls journaled on the outer ends of the armsbetween the bearing plates, and equalizer springs connected with thearms and with a fixed support to yieldingly return the arms to aposition in parallelism with the fixed bolster.

2. In a side bearing, the combination, with the body bolster, a truckbolster, and a center pin, of upper and lower bearing plates carriedrespectively by the body bolster and the truck bolster and havingrunways formed in their opposing faces, the run-way in one of the plateshaving a curved contour viewed longitudinally, a frame pivotally mountedconcentric with but independent of the center pin and having armsextending radially from such pivotal center to the bearing plates, androlls journaled on the outer ends of the arms within the runways, andequalizer springs connected with the arms on each side of the center andwith a fixed support.

3. In a side bearing, a body bolster, a

truck bolster, bearing plates carried respectively by the body bolsterand truck bolster and having runways formed in their opposite faces, therun ways on the plates carried by the truck bolster each having aconcaved contour viewed longitudinally, grooved guide rolls on oppositesides of the bolsters, a spider frame having a circular body mountedupon and supported by' the grooved rolls in surrounding relationthereto, said spider having arms extending radially from the circularbody and upon diverging lines to and between the bearing plates, androlls within the run ways directly journaled on the outer ends of thearms.

4:. In a side bearing, the combination, with the body bolster, a truckbolster, and a center pin, of upper and lower bearing plates carriedrespectively by the body bolster and the truck bolster and havingrunways formed in their opposing faces, the run-way of the lower bearingplate having a concave contour viewed longitudinally, grooved guiderolls mounted upon opposite sides of the bolsters, a spider frame havinga circular body mounted upon the grooved rolls concentric with thecenter pin and having arms extending radially from such pivotal centerand upon diverging lines to the plates in a horizontal plane between thebolsters and plates, rolls journaled on the outer ends of the armswithin the run-ways, said rolls formed as truncated cones having theirvertices at the pivotal center of the frame, and equalizer springsconnecting the arms on each side of the circular body with a fixedsupport.

5. A sided bearing for a vehicle provided with a body bolster and atruck bolster, comprising plates adapted to be carried respectively bythe body bolster and the truck bolster and provided on their opposingfaces with grooves forming runways, a spider frame having a centralcircular portion, and

radial arms extending therefrom outwardly on opposite sides in divergentlines, rolls mounted directly on the outer ends of the arms and adaptedto travel along the runways, and grooved guide rolls adapted to bemounted on opposite sides of the bolster to engage the central circularportion of and support the spider frame.

6. In a side bearing, a body bolster, a

truck bolster, bearing plates carried respec-.

spider frame having arms extending radi- In testimony, that I claim theforegoing ally from the circular body upon divergent as my own, I havehereto affixed my signa 10 lines to and between the bearing plates andture in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

rolls 'ournaled directl on the outer ends of a the aims and locatedwithin the runways, ABNER VOLB said rolls being formed as truncatedcones having their vertices at the pivotal center of the circular body.

itnesses HOMER D. KIRK, CLEMENT DAVIS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

